Biritai in Indonesia

People Name:	Biritai
Country:	Indonesia
10/40 Window:	Yes
Population:	400
World Population:	400
Primary Language:	Biritai
Primary Religion:	Christianity
Christian Adherents:	64.00 %
Evangelicals:	2.00 %
Scripture:	Translation Started
Online Audio NT:	No
Jesus Film:	No
Audio Recordings:	No
People Cluster:	New Guinea
Affinity Bloc:	Pacific Islanders
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

They are primarily hunters in their homeland on the flat lakes plains. At an altitude of 500 meters above sea level the Biritai people can best be accessed by airplane into the airstrip at Biri. They migrated from what is now the Kaiy language area because of a flood some time ago. The Biritai folks are descendents of the Usai, Kusai, and Matemtai clans. Intermarriage is common among the Welemo, Papasena, Eri, Iri, War and Biritai peoples.

The people eat sago, bananas, and fish. House walls are made from palm bark and poles, while the roofs are thatched. Malaria, elephantitis, and tropical ulcers are common diseases. The Biritai people have no gospel cassettes, film, or videos in their language.

The Biritai are sometimes known as the Ati, Aliki, or Biri people. Some prefer to be called Obogwi-Tai. The Biritai language is part of the East Tarike language family.